Barcelona vs. Thailand: Cesc Fabregas' Performance Encouraging for Catalans

Cesc Fabregas didn't look like a player who wants to go to Manchester United in Barcelona's 7-1 win over a Thailand XI on Wednesday.

Gerardo Martino told AS that he's confident Fabregas will be staying at the Camp Nou for the upcoming season, via Sky Sports. The Red Devils seem to have taken the hint, as The Guardian's David Hytner reported they've turned their attention to Marouane Fellaini.

The idea of Fabregas being sold this summer has never really made much sense.

After seeing Thiago Alcantara exit for Bayern Munich, Barcelona couldn't be so foolish as to lose both their heirs to Xavi in midfield during one transfer window.

From Fabregas' perspective, it's hard to imagine him wanting to move from his dream club after only two largely unsuccessful seasons. He knows Xavi is starting to decline and that it's only a matter of time before he is the chief playmaker in midfield on a full-time basis.

Against Thailand, Fabregas pulled all the strings. He sprayed passes across the pitch and set his teammates up for scoring opportunities. Sure, it was weak opposition, but it was the kind of performance you loved to see if you're a Barcelona supporter.

That Fabregas played so much of the friendly added to Martino's backing of him this summer makes it seem as though he will be a key man next season.

Last year, Barca were over-reliant on their aging players. That resulted in a team that was running on empty at the end of the season, as evidenced by the thrashing they suffered at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal.

Part of that was likely down to Tito Vilanova's absence from the side. Jordi Roura was unlikely to shift out any of the club's consistent contributors. He was just there to maintain the status quo.

You can only play the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta so long before you need to give them a break. Xavi and Iniesta, especially, considering how they hardly ever get a summer off, with the Spanish FA setting up lucrative friendlies when they could be resting.

Martino will experiment with his side and start moving away from the veterans if necessary. It's that kind of attitude that Barcelona so desperately need right now. Pep Guardiola was willing to tinker with what was working, and wasn't afraid to move a player out if he felt it would benefit the club.

It's only after Guardiola is gone that you see how important it was that he try and stay ahead of the game. Football is constantly evolving, and Barca were left behind a bit last season under Vilanova and Roura.

This summer has been a bit of a change. Martino has the players pressing and playing a style that is just enough of a change from what they've been doing.

Fabregas will inevitably be at the forefront of that change. He's going to be motivated to fight for his spot in the starting XI and become a dominant force on the field for Barca—you saw that motivation against Thailand.

Fabregas could easily have phoned it in and played with less than maximum effort. Instead, he looked as if he had everything to play for and wanted to leave it all on the pitch.

That only points to good things for Barcelona moving forward.